Season 9 was always going to be rough. When my Series Cast comrades and I set off to watch and review every X-Files episode before the series 2016 resurrection I was dreading the day when it arrived. I vaguely remembered my adolescent rage towards an absentee Mulder, limited Scully and replacements that I deemed entirely unfit to carry the torch. Needless to say I was not looking forward to a single minute of this often reviled season.
Maybe it's the acceptance that comes with getting older, maybe a touch of Stockholm Syndrome, but to my great surprise one Season 9 episode managed to blow my expectations out of the water. Even more unexpectedly it is an episode that focuses on the story of Agent Doggett.
'Release' further explores the often referenced murder of Agent Doggett's son Luke. Robert Patrick once again proves me wrong in what was surely his finest work on the series. The episode is hardly an X-File with the only possible supernatural element surrounding a young agent in training, Rudolph Hayes (Jared Poe). Hayes has an eerie knack for criminal profiling, and his awkward demeanor makes for a very compelling character.
As suspected we also learn that A.D. Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) is exactly the scumbag he seems to be. While unsurprising, the revelation of past corruption and the connection to the tragedy of Agent Doggett's son really worked for me. My jaw dropped when Follmer ultimately steals Doggett's chance at revenge, but unwittingly saves the incorruptible Doggett from himself.
I'm genuinely pleased that the writers were not afraid to steer clear of the revenge fantasy and instead tackle this with a very complex resolution that left me feeling for the character. In what was a season with low peaks and deep valleys 'Release' was welcome relief towards the end of a long and winding road.
Maybe it's the acceptance that comes with getting older, maybe a touch of Stockholm Syndrome, but to my great surprise one Season 9 episode managed to blow my expectations out of the water. Even more unexpectedly it is an episode that focuses on the story of Agent Doggett.
'Release' further explores the often referenced murder of Agent Doggett's son Luke. Robert Patrick once again proves me wrong in what was surely his finest work on the series. The episode is hardly an X-File with the only possible supernatural element surrounding a young agent in training, Rudolph Hayes (Jared Poe). Hayes has an eerie knack for criminal profiling, and his awkward demeanor makes for a very compelling character.
As suspected we also learn that A.D. Brad Follmer (Cary Elwes) is exactly the scumbag he seems to be. While unsurprising, the revelation of past corruption and the connection to the tragedy of Agent Doggett's son really worked for me. My jaw dropped when Follmer ultimately steals Doggett's chance at revenge, but unwittingly saves the incorruptible Doggett from himself.
I'm genuinely pleased that the writers were not afraid to steer clear of the revenge fantasy and instead tackle this with a very complex resolution that left me feeling for the character. In what was a season with low peaks and deep valleys 'Release' was welcome relief towards the end of a long and winding road.